Great Alarean War
The Great Alarean War was a war that took place throughout Alarea from 162 DR to 177 DR. The war's putative cause was Dorian aggression in Ricci, but it mainly served as an excuse for Steppen II of Daravia to distract the aristocracy and consolidate his personal power. Breakout of war Steppen II acceded the Daravian throne in 162 DR, and within a matter of months made a sudden declaration of war against Dorio. Dorio's Albus II was at this time still a brash, fairly youthful commander, and so he wasted no time in marshaling his armies and meeting the Daravians at the border. For the first year or so of the war, a series of internecine battles were waged without either side being able to make significant progress; consequently, Albus called on Lord Reverend Aberforth Wood to provide military aid, and so starting in the autumn of 163 the Dorians began making territorial advances. Increase in breadth In the summer of 164, Daravian forces under Duke Edgar Goronik led an attack through the Zune Corridors and into the province of Tristania. For some time, Goronik was able to pillage the Dorian land with impunity, since the bulk of Dorio's military was in the west— however, Albus ultimately spread his army along the extensive Dorio/Daravia border to guard against intrusions in multiple areas. Although Edgar Goronik was killed in early 166, he left lasting effects on the Great Alarean War; both sides made increasing raids into enemy land, plundering what they could and capturing cities where possible. The greatest amount of fighting was still along the comparatively clear Riccian border, but it was common for smaller squadrons to cross the Zunerains and raid in the Tristania, Cadra, and Valatsa territories. Steppen II notably decreased his personal involvement in the war throughout 166–67, instead urging his dukes to follow Goronik's example and lead boldly. Historical consensus holds that this was the crux of his scheme to maximize his personal power. However, owing to the decentralization this caused in the Daravian army, the Dorians were able to exploit their poor communication and win several major victories in 167 and early 168. Revolts in Valatsa Struggling with the war effort, Steppen sent Castimir Ayarlann— a Cadral orator and personal friend of his— to spread unrest in Valatsa. Ayarlann arrived in Valatsa in Hortisaft 168, and immediately began preaching about Dorian abuses against Vazranists. In spite of peacemaking efforts by Aberforth Wood, a vein of resentment was still present in the Valat consciousness, and so before the year was out there was open rioting in Stagrang. Aberforth recalled most of the Monastery of Arms to fight against the Valat rebels, and so along the main fronts of the war there was a sudden drop in Dorian manpower. Capitalizing on this, the Daravian armies scored a series of victories on the Riccian front in 169, while conditions on the Zunerain front were as volatile as ever. In early 170, Albus grew sick of having an additional front to deal with, and so he delegated command of the Valat operations to Peter Allistar. Now able to dedicate more of his focus to the Riccian front, Albus managed to stop the Daravian advance and maintain the existing borders. Naval invasion By 173, conditions were stagnating. Dorian and Daravian nobles alike were growing unhappy with the war, and the commoners faced increasingly poor economic conditions; however, Steppen was profiting from keeping the war going, and so he refused two offers of peace. As a result, Albus concluded that he would need to marshal his forces for what he hoped would be a final assault on the Daravian empire. He initiated planning throughout the later months of 173, and in the summer of 174 he sent a fleet of ships under Oswin Harquess to stage a naval invasion of Daravia. In Hortisaft 174, the fleet landed in the duchy of Malkarron, and the Dorians immediately began seizing whatever territory they could. This invasion saw great success in its first months, taking a series of cities and keeps in Malkarron and Gahlstaff, but sensing immediate danger, Steppen personally led an army to quash the Dorians. Fighting raged in the west of Daravia throughout early 175; the Dorians, meanwhile, diverted increased manpower to the Valat front and were able to apprehend Castimir Ayarlann that summer. Less than a month later, the decisive Battle of Kastleven was held, in which Harquess' armies were soundly defeated. The conflict began to fade out in the wake of that summer, as both sides were thoroughly exhausted and the Valat uprising had been stayed. For a year longer, the two sides continued sending smaller forces into battle along the Riccian and Zunerain fronts, but there was a general lethargy about the process. End of the war During the winter of 176, there were no recorded battles between Dorian and Daravian forces for close to two months. Steppen began making plans to revitalize his armies for 177, but was met with widespread displeasure by the nobility; unwilling to risk losing the power he had attained, Steppen relented and sued for peace in Rasnosia 177. Albus eagerly accepted Steppen's invitation, and the two worked out a peace deal in a matter of weeks. The Truce of Salkbluff established that the borders would be restored to their pre-162 status, and that hostilities were to cease. Overall, the war was a long and ineffective one, although Steppen did accomplish his goal of centralizing Daravian power. Category:Wars